Geographic Location: United States
Industry Sector: Hospitality-Gaming
Client Type: Private
Background Information
With a 30-year history of delivering successful projects for safe access for building systems interior and exterior maintenance on some of the most unique and challenging projects internationally, Rauch was appointed by the client to develop a comprehensive building envelope maintenance access program. The unique design features of the building required that Rauch utilize a combination of access options.
Rauch worked closely with the clients U.S. and international design and operations internal resources teams, together with external multicultural project critical members which included architects, engineers, government authorities and contractors
Buildings today offer unique architectural statements and designs with sophisticated and intricate envelopes creating a challenge for safely and efficiently accessing these structures for interior and exterior maintenance purposes. Choosing the right combination of access systems are critical in ensuring worker safety and asset preservation.
Issues and Challenges
Unique building design features, a focus on worker safety while performing maintenance tasks at heights together with requirements for minimal impact on guests and tenants during these maintenance operations, cost constraints and working in a region where outside maintenance contractors continually attempt to circumvent the use of proper access equipment and safety protocols, created a truly challenging project environment.
Solutions and Recommendations
Rauch Safety and Engineering to facilitate and provide management oversight of the following program:
- Review of property wide drawings to identify all maintenance areas that require BMU and access equipment
- Building design review, comment, and recommendations to client of effect of design on access and maintenance
- Safety of operators and those affected by maintenance operations, including tenants and guests, must be a priority
- Identify the interior and exterior design and materials of the structure and their subsequent effect on access and maintenance
- Identify all of the surfaces required for interior and exterior access
- Identify access equipment options, their effectiveness and compatibility with the building’s design, local climate conditions and its subsequent effect on the equipment, short and long-term maintenance requirements and adherence to requisite codes and standards
- Develop specifications and RFP for BMU and access equipment vendors ensuring adherence to requisite codes and standards
- Identify qualified access equipment vendors
- Issue project specifications and RFP to qualified BMU and access equipment vendors
- Review RFP responses and provide recommendations to client
- Determine the methodology and frequency of interior and exterior maintenance operations
- Establish operational and maintenance performance standards
- Develop specifications and RFP for maintenance service providers ensuring adherence to requisite codes and standards
- Identify qualified maintenance service providers
- Issue project specifications and RFP to qualified maintenance service providers
- Review RFP responses and provide recommendations to client
- Determine the methodology and frequency of BMU and access equipment training programs and subsequent adherence to requisite codes and standards
- Establish access equipment training and performance standards
- Develop specifications and RFP for client employees and external contractors training programs for use of access equipment and subsequent adherence to requisite codes and standards
- Identify qualified independent training service providers
- Issue project specifications and RFP to qualified training service providers
- Review RFP responses and provide recommendations to client
- Determine the methodology and frequency of BMU and access equipment inspection and testing and subsequent adherence to requisite codes and standards
- Establish BMU and access equipment inspection, testing and performance standards
- Develop specifications and RFP for independent third party inspection service providers
- Identify qualified independent third party inspection service providers
- Issue project specifications and RFP to qualified independent third party inspection service providers
- Review RFP responses and provide recommendations to client
- Present a variety of access alternatives, associated budgets and costs and benefits analysis
Risk Factors and Assessment
The ability to implement a comprehensive realistic scalable long-term program which has the buy in of all stakeholders was key to the success of the overall project.
Training programs to disseminate knowledge and to improve behavior patterns and attitudes regarding safety in general and access equipment safe usage specifically are therefore critical. The inability to clearly articulate and demonstrate the importance of safety to the client’s employees and as importantly local maintenance contractors will leave the client at significant risk regardless of the amount of funds put towards equipment, plans and procedures.
Project Successes
Rauch Safety and Engineering was successful in delivering a comprehensive building maintenance access program and has continued to work with the client to monitor the programs progress as well as on new projects.
